Deck 14: The Dynamics of Labour Relations

Question 1

Mary works in the basement of her employer's home sewing pants. What is one of the biggest challenges facing workers like Mary in becoming unionized?

A) They do not have any political party to help them with organizing.
B) They work in scattered locations.
C) They are not well-educated.
D) They do not work in teams.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In collective bargaining, what does the term "bread-and-butter issues" reflect?

A) wages, benefits, and working conditions
B) inflationary prices in basic commodities
C) the grievance procedure
D) items that complement each other like bread and butter

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following conditions and/or actions may result in labour relations boards imposing a union on an employer in some Canadian jurisdictions, even with as few as 5 percent of the authorization cards signed?

A) threats by other unions to go on strike if the workplace does not get its own union
B) unfair labour practices committed by the employer in the organizing process
C) the need by government for labour relations peace in workplaces
D) advice from the International Labour Office

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Gary Walters has applied for a job at a factory. He was told that he has to join the union if he wants the job. What do you call this provision in the collective agreement?

A) an illegal clause
B) a union shop
C) compulsory unionization
D) an unfair labour practice

Question 5

In organizing campaigns, which tactic can employers use in opposing unionization?

A) increasing benefits
B) attending union meetings
C) changing working conditions of employees who work for the union
D) bargaining in good faith

Question 6

What happens when the labour relations board is satisfied that the union has the required membership support for union formation?

A) It will institute a collective agreement.
B) It will file the case in a court for a formal decision.
C) It will request a formal re-count of the votes.
D) It will certify the union.

Question 7

Which of the following groups do labour boards generally have representatives from?

A) third-party representatives and managers
B) academia and management
C) academia and public servants
D) labour and management

Question 8

Wilem Corporation is considering strategies to remain union-free. Which of the following is NOT a useful strategy in this respect??

A) offering competitive wages and benefits
B) allowing supervisors to adopt their own approaches to employee motivation and job design
C) giving attention to employee growth and development needs
D) instituting formal procedures to resolve employee complaints

Question 9

Which of the following administers the Canada Labour Code?

A) the Supreme Court
B) the Federal Human Rights Commission
C) Canada Industrial Relations Board
D) the federal government

Question 10

According to Canadian labour relations legislation, which of the following employer actions is prohibited during an organizing drive?

A) getting legal advice
B) stating the employer is ready to listen to employees and discuss any issue
C) increasing wages during the certification process
D) presenting its case to the employees

Question 11

In certification elections in Canada, how many employees must vote in favour of unions for them to become certified in workplaces?

A) 40 percent, plus one
B) 41 percent
C) 50 percent, plus one
D) 51 percent

Question 12

A union was recently certified at ABC Corporation after 55 percent of the employees signed authorization cards for the union to represent them. There was no vote. What is this system called when unions are certified in this manner?

A) union shop
B) card-check
C) authorization system
D) mandatory unionization

Question 13

Yorkville Tire Manufacturing Company has been experiencing bad management-employee relations for almost two years. Jack Pratt, one of the leaders among the employees, wants to help in unionizing the employees. He has met with most of the employees. What should he do next?

A) ask the workers to go on strike to put pressure on the company
B) form an in-house organizing committee
C) appeal to a broader community-including academics and international agencies-to put pressure on the employer
D) ask the labour relations board to intervene

Question 14

Jason Thomas recently joined ABC Inc. to work on the shipping wharf as a loader. He has been told that he must join the union as a condition of employment. What is this employment provision called?

A) a union shop
B) a bully provision
C) an agency shop
D) an unfair labour practice

Question 15

Which of the following groups are most likely to initiate organizing campaigns?

A) labour relations boards
B) union organizers
C) social activists
D) employees

Question 16

What is the overarching reason why employees unionize?

A) to change governments
B) to advance social agendas
C) to achieve work outcomes that they cannot achieve individually
D) to advance their political views

Question 17

Which of these statements best describes unionization rates in Canada over the past few decades?

A) Overall, unionization rates have been declining.
B) Private sector unionization rates have been increasing.
C) Unionization rates have been declining in Canada, except in Ontario.
D) Public sector unionization rates have experienced a steeper decline versus private sector unionization rates.

Question 18

In Canada, who is responsible for administering union certification elections?

A) the employer
B) the Human Rights Commission
C) the union
D) the labour relations board

Question 19

What is the first step in the organizing process in forming unions?

A) application to the labour relations board
B) employee-union contact
C) formation of an in-house organizing committee
D) election of a bargaining committee

Question 20

Which of the following is the strongest reason to join a union?

A) personal preference for a union and social pressure to join
B) dissatisfaction with wages, benefits, and working conditions
C) favouritism shown by supervisors in promotions, shift assignments, and transfers
D) the need to fraternize with similar employees and assert personal leadership skills

Question 21

Which of the following groups may represent professional and white-collar employees?

A) an employee association
B) the Canadian Labour Congress
C) a professional agency
D) a management rights association

Question 22

What is the basis of interest-based bargaining?

A) identification and resolution of mutual interests
B) identification and resolution of self-interests
C) resolution of issues through interest arbitration
D) resolution of issues through interest conciliation

Question 23

Lee Chen works is an employee of the national union. He is involved with negotiating the collective bargaining agreement with the employer for Local 1240. What is Mr. Lee's most likely job title or role?

A) a business agent
B) a union agent
C) a mediator
D) a union steward

Question 24

Assume that the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is representing essential workers in a hospital. The hospital's administration and the union are deadlocked in negotiations. What is a likely solution to this impasse?

A) decertification of CUPE
B) compulsory binding arbitration
C) a strike
D) counselling

Question 25

What is a key difference between public sector and private sector labour relations?

A) In the private sector, the foundation is economic, whereas in the public sector it is political.
B) Private sector unions are more socialist.
C) Private sector unions are larger in Canada.
D) Public sector unions have a more comprehensive right to strike.

Question 26

What type of unions do carpenters and masons usually belong to?

A) industrial unions
B) regional unions
C) central unions
D) craft unions

Question 27

ABC Corporation and the union are locked in a dispute that they cannot resolve by themselves. Ms. Reza Shah, a third party, has been asked to help them with a binding decision. She has informed them that the final settlement will be one that either ABC Corporation or the union offers. What is this settlement an example of?

A) binding conciliation
B) compulsory binding arbitration
C) final offer arbitration
D) compulsory conciliation

Question 28

Developing likely union proposals, lists of demands, and a contingency plan for operating in the event of a strike are part of which of the following?

A) compulsory binding arbitration
B) an employer's bargaining strategy
C) a union's bargaining strategy
D) good faith bargaining

Question 29

Omar Mohammed represents the interests of union members in their relations with their immediate supervisors and other members of management. What is Mr. Mohammed's most likely job title or role?

A) a mediator
B) a union steward
C) a union leader
D) a conciliator

Question 30

In the collective bargaining model, what is the area within which the union and employer are willing to concede when bargaining?

A) bargaining scope
B) bargaining range
C) contingency operating plan
D) bargaining zone

Question 31

In the United States, the key central federation of unions is called the AFL-CIO. In Canada, what is the name of the organization that does similar work?

A) the Canadian Auto Workers Union
B) the Canadian Labour Congress
C) the Labour Organization
D) the Trades Union Congress

Question 32

Which of the following labour organizations is most likely to provide professional and financial assistance during organizing drives and strikes, help negotiate labour agreements, and train union leaders?

A) a local union
B) the Department of Labour
C) Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
D) the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)

Question 33

What is interest-based bargaining based upon?

A) the area within which union and management are willing to concede
B) a give-and-take philosophy
C) adversarial bargaining
D) the identification and resolution of mutual interests

Question 34

Unions try to ensure that unionized employees get similar wages and benefits across unionized organizations. What is the effect of this strategy?

A) Pay equality is ensured for all male and female jobs.
B) Higher wages are removed as a source of competitive advantage.
C) Pay bands are increased.
D) Turnover increases.

Question 35

The creation of a relationship for the future based on trust, understanding, and mutual respect is the basis of which of the following?

A) good faith bargaining
B) traditional bargaining
C) interest-based bargaining
D) adversarial bargaining

Question 36

Which of the following is a key difference between unionized and nonunionized work in Canada?

A) Nonunionized workers get higher wages and benefits.
B) Unionized workers get higher wages and benefits.
C) Unionized workers get more benefits but less in wages.
D) Unionized workers get better pay but less in benefits.

Question 37

Unlike many unions in Europe, most of the bargaining and decision making for unions in Canada occurs at which of the following levels?

A) the international level
B) the national level
C) the sectoral level
D) the local level

Question 38

The full-time professors at McMaster University are usually represented by a group of nonunionized faculty in wage negotiations with management. What is this group of faculty called?

A) a certified union
B) a craft union
C) an employee association
D) a negotiations association

Question 39

Within a bargaining unit, how many workers must vote against the union so as to decertify it?

A) 40 percent, plus one
B) 41 percent
C) 50 percent, plus one
D) 51 percent

Question 40

ABC Inc. has exclusive rights, as reflected in the collective agreement, to hire senior staff. What is the term used for such exclusive rights?

A) management rights
B) human rights
C) management power
D) collective bargaining rights

Question 41

What do we call the actions of a third party who has the power to impose a settlement when the issue relates to the administration of the collective agreement?

A) mediation
B) rights arbitration
C) interest arbitration
D) conciliation

Question 42

The factors that arbitrators use when deciding cases are the wording of the labour agreement, the submission agreement, the testimony and evidence offered, and which of the following?

A) the truthfulness of witnesses
B) the preferences of the grievant
C) arbitration criteria or standards
D) the concept of reasonable doubt

Question 43

Which of the following is a strategy that management can use to increase its bargaining power?

A) picketing exercises
B) a strike
C) a strike vote
D) a lockout

Question 44

Unions tend to hold strike votes to assess whether members are willing to go on strike for their demands. What does a high vote in favour of a strike (e.g., 95 percent) mean?

A) Management will most likely have to lock out the union.
B) The union will definitely go on strike because it has an overwhelming mandate to do so.
C) Management will lose in the bargaining.
D) The union will have strengthened its bargaining power.

Question 45

In which of the following situations is grievance handling most successful?

A) when union stewards are selected by management
B) when supervisors are formally trained in the terms of the labour agreement and counselling skills
C) in paternalistic management systems
D) in nonunionized businesses

Question 46

What do we call a neutral third party who resolves labour disputes by issuing a final decision that the parties must accept?

A) an arbitrator
B) a conciliator
C) a mediator
D) a chief executive officer

Question 47

Scenario 14.1
Boat Xpress, a Canadian shipping firm, has been treating employees unfairly for decades. Employees work full-time hours but are hired as part-timers with no benefits other than 4 percent vacation pay. Health and safety standards are non-existent, and the list goes on. Employees have tried to organize before, but management fired them and threatened the remaining workers. A new employee decided that the working conditions are intolerable and wants to get other employees organized in order to obtain union representation. All employees now believe that their interests will be better served with collective agreements.
Refer to Scenario 14.1. Why do workers at Boat Xpress want to organize in a union?

A) for economic reasons
B) for political reasons
C) for social reasons
D) for ideological reasons

Question 48

Scenario 14.1
Boat Xpress, a Canadian shipping firm, has been treating employees unfairly for decades. Employees work full-time hours but are hired as part-timers with no benefits other than 4 percent vacation pay. Health and safety standards are non-existent, and the list goes on. Employees have tried to organize before, but management fired them and threatened the remaining workers. A new employee decided that the working conditions are intolerable and wants to get other employees organized in order to obtain union representation. All employees now believe that their interests will be better served with collective agreements.
Refer to Scenario 14.1. Employees are very concerned about the repercussions of the company finding out that they are seeking union representation. Which of the following can Boat Xpress legally do?

A) attend union meetings and spy on employees
B) threaten or terminate employees because of their union affiliation or beliefs
C) change the working conditions of employees because they actively work for the union
D) voluntarily recognize and accept a union

Question 49

Tim James is allowed to choose whether he wants to become a member of the union or not but still has to pay union dues. What is this type of union security arrangement called?

A) agency shop
B) union shop
C) undemocratic unionism
D) unfair labour practice

Question 50

What is a key benefit of the grievance procedure in unionized organizations?

A) It allows for the settlement of a dispute without strikes and lockouts.
B) It reduces turnover.
C) It is usually completed within one or two weeks.
D) It is usually used by management to settle issues related to the management rights clause.

Question 51

Scenario 14.1
Boat Xpress, a Canadian shipping firm, has been treating employees unfairly for decades. Employees work full-time hours but are hired as part-timers with no benefits other than 4 percent vacation pay. Health and safety standards are non-existent, and the list goes on. Employees have tried to organize before, but management fired them and threatened the remaining workers. A new employee decided that the working conditions are intolerable and wants to get other employees organized in order to obtain union representation. All employees now believe that their interests will be better served with collective agreements.
Refer to Scenario 14.1. Management does not have the right to fire employees for organizing. The right of workers to join unions was established back in 1948 by which of the following?

A) the Industrial Relations Disputes and Investigation Act
B) Ontario Labour Relations Act
C) Canada Labour Code
D) Labour Relations Board

Question 52

Why might pickets prevent trucks and railcars from entering a struck business?

A) because picketing during a strike carries a legal obligation on the part of the employer to cease operations, including delivery of goods and materials
B) because unions often refuse to cross another union's picket line
C) because the union has a legal right to obstruct the business of the employer the union is striking against
D) because operators of trucks and railcars must get permission from the picketing union to enter the premises

Question 53

Scenario 14.2
Calendars "R" Us Ltd. produces calendars for middle and high schools in Ontario. Calendars "R" Us started back in 2006 and today has over 60 employees. About two years ago, the employees organized and obtained union certification. To date, the union has not successfully negotiated a collective agreement. Employees are not happy with the progress the union has made, and much of the concerns they have had (wages, benefits, training, etc.) have not been addressed. Calendars "R" Us employees feel that the union is more interested in serving the needs of the company and are looking to find a replacement.
Refer to Scenario 14.2. What are the steps in the collective bargaining process that the union and Calendars "R" Us need to go through?

A) union proposals, management responses, management demands, limits of concessions
B) prepare for negotiations, develop strategies, conduct negotiations, formalize agreement
C) union demands, database to support management proposals, union responses
D) prepare for negotiations, review proposals, determine counteroffer

Question 54

Scenario 14.2
Calendars "R" Us Ltd. produces calendars for middle and high schools in Ontario. Calendars "R" Us started back in 2006 and today has over 60 employees. About two years ago, the employees organized and obtained union certification. To date, the union has not successfully negotiated a collective agreement. Employees are not happy with the progress the union has made, and much of the concerns they have had (wages, benefits, training, etc.) have not been addressed. Calendars "R" Us employees feel that the union is more interested in serving the needs of the company and are looking to find a replacement.
Refer to Scenario 14.2. Calendars "R" Us employees want to change their union. Before they can decertify, all of the following must be in place EXCEPT which one?

A) determine whether bargaining was done in good faith
B) determine whether the union has failed to bargain
C) determine whether employees want to be represented by another union
D) decision by the majority of bargaining unit members that they do not want to be represented by the union

Question 55

What is the arbitrator's responsibility in a dispute?

A) to interpret the intent of the labour agreement
B) to get the parties to work together to solve their differences
C) to mandate how the grievance will be resolved
D) to decide the case without passing judgment

Question 56

How can the bargaining power of an employer be exercised during collective bargaining?

A) through lockout of employees
B) through organizing a strike vote
C) through raising wages
D) through legal injunction

Question 57

Scenario 14.1
Boat Xpress, a Canadian shipping firm, has been treating employees unfairly for decades. Employees work full-time hours but are hired as part-timers with no benefits other than 4 percent vacation pay. Health and safety standards are non-existent, and the list goes on. Employees have tried to organize before, but management fired them and threatened the remaining workers. A new employee decided that the working conditions are intolerable and wants to get other employees organized in order to obtain union representation. All employees now believe that their interests will be better served with collective agreements.
Refer to Scenario 14.1. Which step is NOT part of the organizing process before Boat Xpress employees can choose to become unionized?

A) employee/union contact
B) initial organizational meeting
C) formation of an in-house bargaining committee
D) application to a labour relations board

Question 58

Which clause holds that "management's authority is supreme in all matters except those conceded in the collective agreement or in those areas where its authority is restricted by law"?

A) the supreme rights clause
B) the defined rights clause
C) the management rights clause
D) the explicit rights clause

Question 59

Unions influence labour legislation and HR policies and practices.

Question 60

If a manager or supervisor violates a labour law, an appropriate defence is that he or she was not familiar with labour legislation.

Question 61

As a manager of XYZ Company, you would most likely expect an organizing drive to be started by your employees rather than a union organizer.

Question 62

In Canada, most organizing campaigns are initiated by employees rather than by union organizers.

Question 63

If employers interfere with the union certification process, the labour relations board can recognize a union regardless of the percentage of employees that have signed authorization cards.

Question 64

Employees are most likely to seek unionization if they believe that doing so will achieve results they cannot achieve acting individually.

Question 65

Employees might consider organizing and joining a union an effective alternative to quitting a job in which they feel they are being treated unfairly.

Question 66

Canadian employers tend to be supportive of union organizing drives.

Question 67

Both employers and unions can be accused of an unfair labour practice.

Question 68

As long as employers do not object to unionization, they can influence employees to vote for one union rather than another.

Question 69

Unionization may restrict the freedom of management in many areas.

Question 70

If an employee personally decides that the benefits will outweigh the costs of joining the union, then she or he is likely to join.

Question 71

Unionization restricts the freedom of management to formulate HR policy unilaterally.

Question 72

It is possible for a union to be decertified if the majority of bargaining unit members decide they would rather be represented by another union.

Question 73

Labour relations in Canada are regulated by federal and provincial laws.

Question 74

The first step in the labour relations process is an application to the labour relations board.

Question 75

The Canada Industrial Relations Board administers and enforces the Canada Labour Code.

Question 76

The first step in organizing begins when employees and union officials meet to explore the possibility of unionization.

Question 77

Unions that represent unskilled and semiskilled workers employed along industry lines are known as industrial unions.

Question 78

The minimum term of the first collective agreement after certification is three years.

Question 79

Many employees unionize because of economic needs.

Question 80

Management rights are those decisions over which management claims exclusive rights.